Lauren Bahnatka is a CrossFitter from our Red's Gym program at Mars Inc. in West Chester, PA. She came to us with excellent cardio-respiratory fitness built from years of competitive distance running. Through CrossFit, she has broadened her fitness and gained some much needed strength. Interestingly, her CrossFit training has improved her running, although she spends less time training on the road! Here is her story:
When a coworker asked me ‘Are you going to do the CrossFit class?’, I thought ‘Yeah right, I don’t want to bulk up!’. Misconception number one.. I also thought ‘I run for seventy minutes everyday, I am probably at the peak of my fitness anyway’. Misconception number two.. Boy, was I wrong!
I signed up for the class and found it to be quite different than I expected. In fact, I found myself becoming competitive with my classmates and really getting into it! My previous capabilities were greatly improved, and I was realized that there really are no limits. I can now do 50 pushups in a minute (my previous best was probably about 20!), ‘real’ pull-ups, and an endless number of squats. When I told Rob that women can't do many pullups, he told me ‘Lauren, I don’t consider you a woman, I consider you a superhero’. I knew that CrossFit was something special.
I have found that the workouts such as Fight Gone Bad and Filthy Fifty are my specialty. I love them! After a few weeks into the class, Rob asked if I was willing to participate in a bit of an 'experiment'. He knew that I came from a running background and that I wanted to improve my 10k time. The experiment was to prove that a combination of CrossFit, interval sprint workouts and the Zone diet would improve my running times (rather than running the same old long distance everyday as I had been doing). I felt honored that he wanted me to be the one to try this out, and eagerly accepted the challenge.
Although it's been a lot of hard work, the 'experiment' program is a winner. I have dropped my 10K time by about 2 minutes and can now run 400m faster than when I was on the track team. I even set a personal record in the 5k at the Ridley Challenge Run by running a 20:26! Running faster by running less? It’s amazing, but it works..
I’m obsessed with CrossFit. Although it requires discipline and focus, the benefits are definitely worth it. I faithfully follow my training program and the Zone diet, despite many desirable temptations (i.e. birthday cake, pizza, and my favorite candy - Raisinets!). I recently registered for the CrossFit Games in California [July 5-6 ]. I know I need to improve my double unders, press, bench, and the other big lifts if I want to have a chance to compete with the best, but I can do it. My high school track coach once said this to me and I carry it with me every challenge I meet: “If you want it, you’ve gotta talk yourself into it!”
Good luck with your training and the CrossFit Games, Lauren!
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